Abrading machine



Nov. 6, 1962 1. STEINBERG 3,061,982

ABRADING MACHINE Filed May 13, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORIsaacrzw5se Nov. 6, 1962 I. STElNBERG ABRADING MACHINE Filed May 15.1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR J's/me STA'INBE-Q ATTORNEY Nov. 6,1962 1. STEINBERG 3,061,982

ABRADING MACHINE Filed May 1s,v 1960 s Sheets-Sheet s TEJU.

i Y 56---i 7 a 23 Q6 5; l V ZZ //l/ll|\\\\\ Z7 INVENTORl'snficd'rsm/aazq- ATTORNEY United States Patent fitice 3,%l,982Patented Nov. 6, 1952 3,061,982 AERADING MACHINE Isaac Steinherg, 71Victory Blvd, Staten Island 1, N31. Filed May 13, 1960, Ser. No. 28,930Claims. (Cl. 51-428) This invention relates generally to eradicators andmore particularly to apparatus for removing ink markings from thesurfaces of tin cans or the like containing food, groceries, or otheritems of merchandise.

In such places as grocery stores and supermarkets, prices are marked inink upon canned goods and the like, and from time to time it isnecessary on the occasion of market fluctuations and special salesevents to change said price markings. Since the inks that are utilizedare more or less indelible, it has hitherto been the laborious practiceto scrape or wash off these markings from each can by hand with crudemake-shift materials such as steel wool pads and clothes saturated withsolvents or the like. This operation, which is a frequent necessity inpresent day merchandising, is a time consuming and unpleasant task.

In order to speed up this erasing chore and to render it less laborious,I provide, according to the present invention, a mechanical hand drivenor electrically driven apparatus wherein a rotating abrading wheelperforms the function of erasing the ink markings while at the same timethe apparatus is arranged to hold the object such as the tin can or thelike in a suitable position to prevent it from twisting or turning whilethe erasing action is taking place. The gripping action is performed byone or more resilient pads mounted on the apparatus, which frictionallyengage the object and prevent its turning while the rotating abradingdisc performs its frictional erasing function upon the inked surface..In some embodiments, the abrading disc may be provided with a resilientbacking mat in order to permit the abrading surface of the discyieldably to conform to the contours of the surface of the object fromwhich the ink markings are to be removed.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the specification.

The features of novelty which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention are set forth herein and will best be understood, both as totheir fundamental principles and as to their particular embodiments, byreference to the specification and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the apparatus of thepresent invention mounted on a shopping cart in a supermarket or grocerystore;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1,showing the manner in which the can is held in relationship to theapparatus prior to its being treated thereby;

FIG. 3 is a still further enlarged side view of the apparatus shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, some parts being in section and some parts being omitted;

FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of theapparatus showing the manner in which the parts are arrayed prior totheir cooperation with a can;

FIG. 5 is a similar to FIG. 4, and shows the manner in which the can isbrought into contact with the operative mechanism of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a still further enlarged fragmentary view of the rotatingabrading disc assembly of the present invention;

FlG. 7 is a top View, partly broken away of the disc shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the apparatusof the present invention may be used in a portable manner;

FIG. 9 is a view somewhat similar to FIG. 2 showing the apparatus of thepresent invention adapted for manual operation, while the apparatus issecured to a stationary frame;

FIG. 10 is an edge view, somewhat enlarged, of the apparatus shown inFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 9 and 10being operated in a portable manner; and

FIG. 12 shows a fragmentary plan view of a further embodiment of theinvention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numeralsrefer to similar parts, the present invention comprises a frame,generally designated 21, made of rigid sheet metal, or the like, andconstituting a vertical frame plate 22, an integral shelf 23 formed onthe upper end of said plate, and an integral shelf 24 formed on thelower end of said plate, both of said shelves being arrayedsubstantially in the same direction relative to said plate 22. Thelateral ends of shelf 24 are each provided with integral elongatedextensions 25 which are bent below shelf 24, jointly to form a handlefor manually grasping and transporting the apparatus. See FIGS. 1, 2, 3and 8.

Extending rearwardly through suitable apertures in frame plate 22. is aplurality of bolts 26 whose outer ends are threadably engaged by wingnuts 27. Positioned captive and movable horizontally between wing nuts27 and frame plate 22 is a vertical clamp plate 28 which has suitableapertures freely to accommodate the shafts of bolts 26. Clamp plate 28is adapted to engage the vertical bars 31 and horizontal bars 32 of ashopping cart, generally designated 33, or the like. Said wing nuts 27when tightened on their respective bolts 26, cause frame plate 22 to besecurely mounted on said cart or to any other suitable support.

The upper end of clamp plate 28 has an integral flange 33 at the upperend thereof arrayed substantially at a 90 angle relative to said clampplate. Instead of mounting the apparatus upon the criss-cross wires of ashopping cart, the apparatus may alternatively be mounted upon asuitable shelf or support stand by means of the edge of flange 33 beingcaused by the tightening of wing nuts 27 to clamp such a shelf or standbetween itself and the rear face of frame plate 22.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 8, there is connected toframe plate 22 a bracket 36 on which is securely mounted an electricmotor 37 whose drive shaft 38 is arrayed substantially parallel to theplane of said plate. Motor 37 is connected by way of line cord 39 to anon-off switch 41 mounted on shelf 24, said switch in turn beingconnected by means of line cord 42 to a suitable power source fordriving motor 37.

A nut 43 is connected to the upper end of shaft 38 by means of set screw44. See FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6. Secured to nut 43 by means of screw 45, orthe like, is a circular metallic wheel backing plate 46, to the upperflat surface of which is secured by means of a suitable adhesive or thelike, a circular backing mat 47 made of a resilient material such asrubber, sponge rubber, neoprene, polyethylene foam or the like.Connected to the top surface of backing mat 47 by means of a suitableadhesive is a circular, somewhat flexible, abrading disc 48 made of amat of nylon fibers or the like, which are coated with suitable abradingparticles such as carbo rundum, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide or thelike.

The assembly of the upper end of shaft 38, nut 43, backing plate 46, mat4-7 and abrading disc 48, extends upwardly through a circular aperture49 in upper shelf 23, as is shown particularly in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5.The top surface of disc 48 lies above the plane of shelf 23. Securedfirmly by a suitable adhesive to the top of shelf 23 on either side ofaperture 49 is a pair of gripping pads 51 made of a resilient materialsuch as rubber, sponge rubber, neoprene, polyethylene foam, or the likewhose top surfaces have suitable frictional characteristics for grippingvarious objects urged against them.

In operation, electric motor 37 is started to rotate abrading disc 48.The container or can, generally designated 54, is held in the hand withits end plate 55 held directly above rotating abrading disc 48, as shownin FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Thereafter, can 54 is moved downward upon theapparatus to bring the surface of end plate 55 into contact with therotating abrading disc 48 (FIG. whereby the latter is caused to erasethe price markings, or the like, that had previously been stamped in inkthereon. It will be noted that resilient backing mat 47 yieldssufiiciently, as shown in FIG. 5, whereby the surface of flexibleabrading disc is enabled to adapt itself to the contours or bulges thatmay exist in end plate so that the erasing action of said abrading discupon the surface of said plate is ensured.

Since can 54- is held by hand, there is a possibility that the rotatingaction of abrading disc 48 might twist can 54 in the hand of theoperator and dislodge it therefrom.

In order to obviate this possibility, the upper surfaces of stationaryresilient gripping pads 51 on either side of disc 48 are arranged to besomewhat higher than the normal initial surface of disc 48 whereby aportion of the surface of the end plate 55 as Well as the annulardownwardly extending bead 56 of can 54 will first sink into said padsand be grasped firmly and prevented from rotating or twisting in thehand of the operator prior to the action of rotating disc 48 upon thesurface of end plate 55 to erase the ink markings thereon.

By experience, the operator of the apparatus may urge can 54 downwardlyupon the apparatus to a sufiicient degree whereby there is a firmengagement between said can and said pads 51 while at the same time theoperator refrains from bringing too much pressure to bear that mightotherwise cause rotating abrading disc 48 to stop against the action ofmotor 37. In other words, there is a mutual adaption between theresilience of backing mat 47, the flexibility of abrading disc 48, theyieldability and frictional gripping action of pads 51, and thesensitivity of the manual pressure by the operator upon can 54 whichbrings about the most effective functioning of the appa ratus.

In some cases, by personal preference or by virtue of the physicalsurroundings, it may be desirable to utilize the apparatus in a portablemanner. Accordingly, as may be seen in the illustration of FIG. 8, thehandle formed by extensions 25 may be grasped manually, and while motor37 is operative to rotate abrading disc 48, the apparatus may be broughtdown upon the end plates 55 of stationary cans 54- in order to erase theink markings, as described hereinabove. The suitable requisite downwardpressure of the apparatus upon the cans will quickly be determined byexperience of the operator in utilizing the apparatus.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 9, l0 and 11wherein the electric motor is replaced by a manually operated crankarrangement.

Connected by suitable screws 61 to plate 22 is a laterally extendingcrank post 62 at the outer end of which is mounted a rotatable gearplate 63 on whose inner surface is formed an annular bevel gear 64. Gearplate 63 is rotated by crank 65 secured thereto, the outer end of saidcrank having a rotatable crank handle 66 that may be manually grasped bythe operator for rotating said plate in either direction. Extendingdownwardly from crank post 62 is a rotatable gear shaft 67, the lowerend of which is mounted in a bearing 68 secured to shelf 24. Mountedfast on gear shaft 67 is a bevel gear 69 that is engaged and rotated bybevel gear 64. Extending upwardly from crank post 62 is a rotatable gearshaft 71, to the upper end of which is connected the assembly of backingplate 46, mat 47, and abrading disc 48 in the same manner as shown inthe embodiment of FIGS. 2, 3 and 6.

Mounted fast on gear shaft 71 is a bevel gear 72 which is engaged androtated by bevel gear 64. In this embodiment the apparatus may either bemounted on the wire frame of the shopping cart, or the like, or it maybe held manually as shown in FIG. 11. Crank handle 66 is grasped torotate gear plate 63 causing abrading disc 48 to rotate. In the samemanner as described above, can 54 is brought into contact with theapparatus in order to cause the abrading disc 48 to erase the inkmarkings on end plate 55 of the can.

The manual rotation of gear plate 63 causes the rotation of bevel gear72, shaft 71, and abrading disc 58, whereby the ink markings on thesurface of end plate 55 of can 54 may be erased in the manner as shownin FIGS. 9 and 10, where the apparatus is mounted on a shopping cart orother suitable support stand. This manually operated embodiment may alsobe transported for erasing the ink markings on stationary cans as shownin FIG. 11.

In this manually operated embodiment, as in the electrically drivenembodiment described hereinabove in connection with FIG. 8, when can 54is caused to approach the apparatus or vice versa, the end plate 55 ofthe can is initially gripped and secured in position by resilient pads51 just prior to the impingement of rotating abrading disc 48 upon thesurface of end plate 55 whereby twisting of the can out of the hand ofthe operator in the arrangement of FIG. 9, or the dislodgement of thecan from its stationary position (FIG. 8 or 11) are obviated.

It is contemplated that in either the electrically or manually operatedembodiment, separate pads 51 may be replaced by a unitary circularfrictional gripping ring 75 made of a resilient material such as rubber,sponge rubber, neoprene, polyethylene foam or the like, as shown in FIG.12, with shelf 23 extending a sufficient distance to accommodate saidring. In this form, the whole circumferential portion of the end of can54 will be gripped by ring 75 in order to stabilize its position whilerotating abrading disc 48 performs its function of erasing the inkmarkings on end plate 55. The initial surface of ring 75 is arranged tobe somewhat higher than the normal surface of abrading disc 48 so thatcan 54 is gripped and stabilized in position by said ring prior to theimpingement of said rotating disc upon the surface of end plate 55.

In some embodiments, the normal initial surface of abrading disc 48 willbe positioned either on the same plane or higher than the surfaces ofpads 51 or ring 75, when the contours of the object upon which said discis to operate requires that arrangement or other circumstances make itnecessary. In such case, the operator of the apparatus will quicklyadapt his technique of handling both the apparatus and the work objectsso that he will bring the two into operative juxtaposition so that thework objects will be stabilized in position by the resilient pads orring while abrading disc 48 performs its erasing function.

It is also contemplated that instead of being secured to the top surfaceof shelf 23, gripping pads 51 may alternatively be mounted upon separatespring biased yieldable p'lates connected to the apparatus and in anequivalent manner perform their function of stabilizing the position ofcan 54 while rotating abrading disc 48 approaches end plate 55 anderases the ink markings therefrom.

It is claimed:

1. Apparatus for erasing ink markings or the like from an object,comprising a frame, a rotatable shaft on said frame, means on said framefor rotating said shaft, an brasive disc mounted on said shaft androtated thereby,

a shelf on said frame, an aperture in said shelf, said disc extendingthrough and rotating freely beyond said aperture and with its abradingsurface extending above said shelf, at least one resilient pad mountedon said shelf near said aperture, the initial surface of said pad beingsomewhat higher than the abrading surface of said disc, said padyieldably gripping a portion of said object as the latter is broughttogether with said apparatus, said gripping action taking place prior tosaid object being brought into frictional engagement with said disc,said pad stabilizing the position of said object while said disc rotatesagainst another portion of said object.

2. Apparatus for erasing ink markings or the like from an object,comprising a frame, a rotatable shaft on said frame, means on said framefor rotating said shaft, an abrasive disc mounted on said shaft androtated thereby, a shelf on said frame, an aperture in said shelf, saiddisc extending through and rotating freely beyond said aperture and withits abrading surface extending above said shelf, a pair of resilientpads mounted on said shelf on opposite sides of said aperture, theinitial surface of said pads being somewhat higher than the abradingsurface of said disc, said pads yieldably gripping a portion of saidobject as the latter is brought together with said apparatus, saidgripping action taking place prior to said object being brought intofrictional engagement with said disc, said pads stabilizing the positionof said object While said disc rotates against another portion of saidobject.

3. Apparatus for erasing ink markings or the like from an object,comprising a frame, a rotatable shaft on said frame, means on said framefor rotating said shaft, an abrasive disc mounted on said shaft androtated thereby, a shelf on said frame, an aperture in said shelf, saiddisc extending through and rotating freely beyond said aperture and withits abrading surface extending above said shelf, a circular resilientpad mounted on said shelf and surrounding said aperture, the initialsurface of said pad being somewhat higher than the abrading surface ofsaid disc, said pad yieldably gripping a portion of said object as thelatter is brought together with said apparatus, said gripping actiontaking place prior to said object being brought into frictionalengagement with said disc, said pad stabilizing the position of saidobject while said disc rotates against another portion of said object.

4. Apparatus for erasing ink markings or the like from an object,comprising a frame, a rotatable shaft on said frame, means on said framefor rotating said shaft, an abrasive disc mounted on said shaft androtated thereby, a shelf on said frame, an aperture in said shelf, saiddisc extending through and rotating freely beyond said aperture and withits abrading surface extending above said shelf, at least one resilientpad mounted on said shelf near said aperture, the initial surface ofsaid pad being somewhat higher than the abrading surface of said disc,said pad yieldably gripping a portion of said object as the latter isbrought together with said apparatus, said gripping action taking placeprior to said object being brought into frictional engagement with saiddisc, said pad stabilizing the position of said object while said discrotates against another portion of said object, and a clamping platemounted on said frame for securing the latter to a stand.

5. Apparatus for erasing ink markings or the like from an object,comprising a frame, a rotatable shaft on said frame, means on said framefor rotating said shaft, an abrasive disc mounted on said shaft androtated thereby, a shelf on said frame, an aperture in said shelf, saiddisc extending through and rotating freely beyond said aperture and withits abrading surface extending above said shelf, at least one resilientpad mounted on said shelf near said aperture, the initial surface ofsaid pad being somewhat higher than the abrading surface of said disc,said pad yieldably gripping a portion of said object as the latter isbrought together with said apparatus, said gripping action taking placeprior to said object being brought into frictional engagement with saiddisc, said pad stabilizing the position of said object while said discrotates against another portion of said object, and a handle on saidframe for providing manual grasping means for said apparatus.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS606,549 Holmes June 28, 1898 1,581,855 May Apr. 20, 1926 1,590,643Neuwelt June 29, 1926 1,645,047 Goodstein Oct. 11, 1927 2,290,533Campbell July 21, 1942 2,360,942 Ellerstein Oct. 24, 1944 2,645,886Peterson July 21, 1953 2,753,668 Strnad July 10, 1956 2,870,993 JahnkeJan. 27, 1959

